Refrigerating apparatus



Nov, 8, 1938. c. J. SEKYRA, SR

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed y 1955 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 8, 1938UNITED STATES,

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS 7 Charles J. Sekyra, Sr., Troy, Ohio, assignor,by

mesne assignments, of one-half to Nash-Kelvinator Corporation, Detroit,Micln, a corporation of Maryland Application July 5, 1935, Serial No.29,852

1 Claim. (Cl. 312168) My invention, which is an improvement on thesubject matter of my copending patent application Serial Number 743,336filed September 11, 1934, pertains to refrigerator cabinets and moreparticularly to an improved arrangement for supporting small articlesand conserving the cold air in the'cabinet.

. It is an object of my invention to provide a refrigerator having acold air shield pivotally mounted in spaced relation between the heatinsulating door of the cabinet and the enclosed food storage compartmentcomprising a rectangular frame of tubular metallic moulding havinginturned grooves for supporting an inserted panel presenting an aperturein alignment with the ice cube trays and having spaced hook receivingsockets in the vertical members of the hollow frame moulding forsupporting shelves across the face of the panel.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a plate glass panel ina cold-air retaining shelf-supporting shield of the above type wherebythe light from a lamp in the refrigerator cabinet is efiectivelytransmitted through the glass panel to illuminate the articles on theshelves on the outside of the shield.

It is a further object of my invention to provide such ashelf-supporting cold-air shield with an aperture through which the lampin the cabinet projects when the shield is turned to its closed positionfor illuminatingthe shelves in the space between the shield. and thedoor.

The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and itsmethod of operation, to-

'gether with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best beunderstoodfrom the following description of specific embodiments, whenread in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator arranged in accordancewith my invention showing the outer door and the cold air shield in openpositions;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view of the upper front portion of therefrigerator cabinet showing the door and shield closed;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the cold air shield and the smallshelves carried thereon;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevational view showing the corner constructionof the frame;

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are sectional detail views thereof;

Fig. 8 is an elevational view partly broken away and sectioned to showthe shelf supporting means on the shield frame;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of one of the shield supported shelves;

Fig. 10 is a plan view of shield and shelf; and

Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the upper portion of the refrigeratorshowing a different embodi- 5 ment of the invention.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1' of the drawing my inventioncomprises a heat insulating cabinet i enclosing a storage compartmentopen at one side. A cooling unit 3 is mounted in. 10 the upper portionof the food storage compartment for cooling the same and it provides afreezing chamber for freezing trays 5. The open side of the cabinet isclosed by a heat insulating door 1 hinged at one side and latched at the15 other in the usual manner. The inner and outer surfaces of therefrigerator cabinet and the door may be covered with a sheet metalcovering having a protective coating of a hard vitreous enamel such asporcelain to provide a pleasing and sani- 2 tary finish. The foodstorage compartment is provided with shelves 9 supported between thevertical side walls of the cabinet in the usual manner.

In accordance with the present invention the 25 front edges of thestorage shelves 9 in the cabinet are terminated in spaced relation fromthe door I in its closed position and a cold air shield II is movablymounted in the space thus provided, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2. Thecold air 30 shield ii is preferably hingedly mounted in the cabinet forpivotal movement therefrom in a direction opposite tothe openingmovement of the door 1. I p

The cold air shield comprises a substantially 35 rectangular frame I3constructed of a tubular metallic moulding having inturned grooves whichare adapted to receive and support a panel I5 of transparentmateriaL'quite similar to the construction of automobile Windshields.The panel 40 I 5 is preferably of plate glass and a rubber insert may beprovided for equalizing the contact pressure between it and the frame.The elements of tubular moulding which comprise the sides of the frameI3 are mitered at the ends to provide a 45 snug fitting engagement atthe corners where the adjacent ends abut together.

For uniting the abutting ends of the side rails of the frame at thecorners of the frame, corner irons II are provided, as more clearlyshown in 50 Fig. 4. The corner irons may be of cast malleable iron andthey are of suitable size and conformation for fitting inside of thepieces of moulding. The legs of the corner irons I! which extend intothe ends of the top and bottom rails of the frame 66 I: are secured asby rivets i9, or welding as desired. The legs of the corner irons whichextend into the ends of the vertical side rails of the frame are securedby screw bolts 2| passing therethrough whereby the lower frame membermay be removed and the frame may be readily opened for inserting orremoving glass panels which normally rest upon the corner irons spacedfrom the outer edges of the frame, as shown. The top and bottom cornerirons at one side of the frame I 3 carry extended pivot pins 23 whichare adapted to project into sockets provided in suitable pivot plates 25which are secured to the upper and lower inside walls of the foodstorage compartment whereby the cold air shield may be convenientlymounted therein.

In order to provide an aperture in the cold air panel through whichaccess to the freezing trays may be had with the shield in its closed,cold air conserving position, a cross-piece 21 is provided which issecured between the side rails of the frame in any suitable manner as bywelding for example. The cross piece 21 is provided with panel receivinggrooves on opposite sides thereof and, as shown in Fig. 7, the lowergroove may re-- ceive the upper edge of the glass panel l while theupper groove may receive the lower edge of a small sheet metal panel 29for closing the space in the shield adjacent the cooling unit. A smallpiece of moulding 3| may be inserted vertically between the cross piece21 and the upper rail of the frame for receiving the edge of the metalpanel 29 adjacent the cooling unit. The edges of the sheet metal panel29 may be turned to provide a thick edge portion 33 for fitting into thegrooves of the frame l3.

The sheet metal panel 29 is also provided with an aperture 35 throughwhich an incandescent electric lamp bulb 31 partially projects as thecold shield ii is turned to its closed position.

The incandescent bulb 31 is supported in a socket 39 depending from theupper wall of the compartment and is energized through a switch 4|controlled by the refrigerator door 1 in the usual manner. In accordancewith applicant's novel arrangement the lamp 31 provides light forilluminating the inside of the compartment, which is visible through theglass panel l5, and also for simultaneously illuminating a series ofopen work shelves 43 which are supported upon the outer surface of theshield.

The small shelves 43 carried by the shield are of a size suitable forsupporting small food articles in the space between the refrigeratordoor 1 and the shield Ii and they are preferably of open wire workhaving terminal hooks 45 adapted to fit into vertically spaced hookreceiving sockets 41 provided along the vertical side rails of the frameas shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Each shelf 43 is provided at one end with aflat panel engaging portion SI for supporting the shelf from theadiacent hook 45 whereby the shelf 43 does not strike the corner of thecabinet as the shield swings outwardly therefrom. The hook receivingsockets 41 pass through only one wall of the tubular moulding, which ishollow, and the hooks 45 fit readily therein whereby the shelves may beconveniently mounted or removed.

Small food articles in frequent demand are stored in the small shelvesand it is only necessary to open the outer door for access thereto. Thecold air shield ll remaining closed conserves-the cold air and preventsthe entrance of warm air while such articles are removed from or placedupon the small shelves, or the freezing trays I are moved from thecooling unit. It is only necessary to swing the cold air shield to oneside in order to remove larger food articles from the larger shelveswithin the storage compartment, and by looking through the transparentpanel l5 it is possible to locate the positions of the desired articlesbefore opening the shield. The incandescent bulb 31 provided with asuitable reflector 53 projects light downwardly for simultaneouslyilluminating the shelves on both sides of the cold air shield throughwhich the bulb is partially projected.

In accordance with .another embodiment of my invention the metal panel29 is omitted and a glass panel is substituted therefor or the glasspanel i5 is extended upwardly therethrough, as shown in Fig. 11. In thisarrangement the incandescent bulb 31 is mounted in spaced relationinside of the closed position of the shield. In this arrangement thebulb directly illuminates the interior food storage compartment and thelight which is transmitted through the glass panel simultaneouslyilluminates the small shelves 43 on the outside of the cold shield.

In either embodiment of my invention it is only necessary to open theoutside door 1 of the refrigerator cabinet to obtain ice cubes from thefreezing trays 5 or small articles from the small shelves 43 the coldair shield remaining in closed position to conserve the cold air andprevent the entrance of warm air. When larger food articles are requiredfrom the food storage compartment, it is only necessary to swing thecold air shield aside. During either operation the automatic lamp 31provides an effective illumination on the shelves on both sides of thecold air shield. Also it is possible to look through the transparentcold air shield for ascertaining the location of the articles on thelarge shelves before opening the cold air shield which still furtherconserves the cold air.

Aside from the specific embodiments of the invention herein shown anddescribed, it will be understood that numerous details of theconstruction may be altered or omitted without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention as disclosed and claimed, and that I do notdesire to limit the invention to the exact constructions herein setforth.

I claim as my invention:

In combination in an illuminated refrigerator,

' a heat insulated cabinet enclosing a storage compartment open at oneside, a heat insulated door for closing the open side of said cabinet, acooling unit mounted in said storage compartment, a freezing chamber forreceiving freezing trays in said unit, a transparent cold air shieldmovably supported in the open side of said cabinet in spaced relationbetween said compartment and the heat insulating door and presenting anaperture in alignment with said freezing chamber, said shield beingarranged in spaced relation to said door for forming an auxiliarystorage compartment, article supporting shelves supported on said shieldin said auxiliary storage compartment, said shield having a lampreceiving orifice therein and a lamp mounted in said cabinet forprojection at least partially through said orifice when the shield ismoved to its closed position in the open side of the cabinet forilluminating both compartments.

CHARLES J. SEKYRA, 8:.

